Kubrat Pulev longs to challenge Tyson Fury

BULGARIA’S once-beaten heavyweight contender Kubrat Pulev scored a quick win in Germany on Saturday night (December 5), halting veteran former contender Maurice Harris inside a round with a right hand to the body. The win in Hamburg – the same city in which Pulev was stopped by defending heavyweight king Wladimir Klitschko – is the second in a row the 34-year-old has scored since being stopped in five exciting rounds last November.

Pulev, now 22-1 and still a highly ranked heavyweight contender, took time out to have a brief chat with Boxing News about his future plans.

“I am pleased with the win [over Harris]. I am now heading home for a well deserved vacation with my family and loved ones,” Pulev said yesterday. “My plan is to be back in action in the ring in the beginning of spring of 2016, while in the next 12-months I aim to be fighting for a [world] title. I give big congratulations to Tyson Fury [on his win over Klitschko]. He did a great, great job and he deserves nothing less than 100-percent admiration and respect. Of course I’d love to fight him.”

Pulev must wait for Fury to fight Klitschko for a second time, in a contractually agreed return, but the Bulgarian joins a fairly long list of interesting prospective challengers for the unbeaten Manchester giant. Fury and Pulev could have met in an IBF eliminator back in 2013, but the match-up didn’t happen. As long as he keeps winning, Pulev will be hoping he and Fury do finally meet, with the world title at stake.

With good wins over the likes of Tony Thompson, Alexander Ustinov and Alexander Dimitrenko to his name, Pulev is a proven talent. And, if he’s still “as hungry as a bear,” as he told BN ahead of his 2014 shot at Klitschko, and if that loss has brought about no ill effects, Pulev could perhaps be a future world champion still.